nervous about cruising with MY toddler

[jw01]

Cruising with a toddler doesn't seem so bad, but I'm nervous about cruising with mine. I guess I just want to lay out my worries and maybe someone will have some tips, solutions, or advice for me.

 

eating - my toddler is picky right now. she eats specific foods and not others. she also tends to eat not in her highchair - rather while playing or otherwise entertained. i don't know how we would get through an actual meal with her at a restaurant - particularily not 3 a day.

 

playing - my toddler is not potty trained. we are on the Carnival Pride. what will we do? she is super active - park, chalk, bounce house, etc. she loves the water. she NEVER sits still.

 

sleeping - we have always slept in a separate room from her. even our last vacation we were able to fit her pack n play in the shower of the bathroom so that we could have separate spaces. will she wake us up? will we wake her up?

 

Any tips? Anyone able to ease my worries?

[boulders]

How old is she?

[RTRMom]

My son has been on 3 cruises...one at 9 months old, 11 months old and 15 months old...all three of them were wonderful! At that age he was still in an umbrella stroller so usually he would nap in the stroller while we walked around or played bingo. Below I will answer your questions to how it worked for us...

 

 

eating - my toddler is picky right now. she eats specific foods and not others. she also tends to eat not in her highchair - rather while playing or otherwise entertained. i don't know how we would get through an actual meal with her at a restaurant - particularily not 3 a day.

 

They have all types of food, and my son is also a very picky eater, so usually for breakfast he ate yogurt or dried cereal, for lunch and dinner he usually just ate french fries and chicken fingers or hotdogs..there are a lot of choices for them, so I am sure you could find something. The milk and juice is free, so no worries about drinks.

 

The 2nd time we went, we did have to leave the dining room once..but it was no big deal, he was just a little fussy,so when he calmed down, we went back into to eat. Depending on your toddlers age, I would bring a small toy..something to occupy them while waiting for food.

 

 

playing - my toddler is not potty trained. we are on the Carnival Pride. what will we do? she is super active - park, chalk, bounce house, etc. she loves the water. she NEVER sits still.

 

Is she old enough for the Camp Carnial...(2 yrs and up) if so she can do some of those acitivities during the day...or you can even go in there with her for playtime at desinated times

 

You can bring a small blow up pool to use on a deck...we did this one time and found a deck that was pretty vacant and set up the pool.

 

For the most part we just walked the ship, watched the shows...etc

 

sleeping - we have always slept in a separate room from her. even our last vacation we were able to fit her pack n play in the shower of the bathroom so that we could have separate spaces. will she wake us up? will we wake her up?

 

You could bring a sheet and maybe some tape and put a sheet up in b/t the crib and the bed..I am not much help on this since our son just slept in the crib.

 

Any tips? Anyone able to ease my worries?

 

 

A good tip...if your toddler is restless at night and will not sleep...a cruise is the perfect place because you can just walk up and find a quiet spot on the deck and the warm ocean air really helps soothe them to sleep. (trust me, we had to do this a few times)

 

 

Since he was under 2 everytime we went...we use the babysitting service a few times to get some "deck" time for laying out and relaxing..there is a cost if they are under 2 and you use the service. But its like 6 dollars an hour or so..

 

 

Definitely bring an umbrella stroller if they are still of age...it is really helpful...I will think of some more and post some later.

 

 

 

 

 

Now we are thinking of doing a cruise in the next couple months...and this time our son is almost 3...so everything I said above is probably out the window..haha, we will see how it goes ;)

[jw01]

How old is she?

 

 

She will be 20 months on the cruise...it is in Feb.

[Arwenmark]

It sounds to me like your toddler is not ready for cruising and I suggest you either cruise when she is older and on more of a schedule or leave her with grandma. As a Grandma I vote for that one. LOL

[jw01]

Thanks for the tips already!

 

She won't ride in a stroller and won't nap anywhere but her bed. We are driving to port, so we are bringing her pack and play with us.

 

We will have grandparents with a connecting room, so one person in the other room while she naps won't be a problem.

 

I hadn't thought of tacking up a sheet...

 

She won't be old enough for camp carnival. could we take her there to play as long as we stay with her?

 

we really like our kid, so i'm not worried about having time without her. (plus with have the grands to help) we also aren't big swimmers or sun worshipers. before her we would just read in the shade and breathe the air and that was enough. she is much more energetic than that though!

[boulders]

There are designated times - sometimes 12-2 on certain days where there is family time in Camp Carnival. You can go and do activities with an under 2 during this time.

 

I would make sure to take advantage of the ports and do excursions - beaches, kid-friendly excursions, even just exploring the port area to wear her out so that she'll sleep well.

 

I would also get her used to sitting at a table for meals. Otherwise, you'll be eating your meals in your stateroom. She'll cause an accident if she's running around a dining room or buffet.

[jam82]

Camp Carnival has babysitting for under 2's from 12pm-2pm or 1pm-3pm on sea days and arrival in port until 12pm on port days. They also have babysitting every night from 10pm-3am. It is $6 per hour. Sounds like she would have fun there.

 

If you need some room for her to run around during the day, try one of the empty lounges or the disco. At 20 months my DS loved the arcade. Many times it was empty so I would just let him play with the auto race without putting any money in. If older kids were there, I'd put some coins in and let him watch the big kids play.

 

As for eating and sleeping, try to get her used to the way it will be on the cruise before you go. If you can't do the MDR with her, you can always dish up plates at the buffet or order room service. Our DS is a picky eater, but he always finds something to eat at the buffet.

 

Since she isn't potty trained she can't use the pool, but there are many other things for her to do. Walk, ride the elevators, dance, arcade or just hang out in the room.

[notentirelynormal]

My grandson was fascinated with the little things. Stairs that you could see through. Glass elevators and just walking. Even the huge sliding doors were interesting. Others have suggested an unused venue to let the kids run to blow off steam.

 

For dinner, our waiter had a bowl of strawberries waiting. As above, french fries and chicken fngers. Whatever your kids likes, you'll find it. When he got fussy he was in the hall for a short walk. You may have to eat at the buffet or in your cabin if she won't be happy in a high chair. There is no way that a child can run around in the restaurant, and frankly, I'd be ticked if you let her. Only you would think it was cute or acceptable. Its also not safe. There are waiters carry trays of food everywhere.

 

Its a lot more work, but for me its worth it. Oh, I might add, if there is something reallyl specific that your child likes, for example smooth peanut butter, bring it. You don't want a melt down because they are out of it or don't carry it. Just easier to bring it.

 

Only sailed on Carnival once and we had a outside cabin so I don't know the other sizes, but I would recommend a balcony. That way you are can sit on the balcony while she gets deep in sleep and then go to bed yourself. That gives both of you some comfort and her a chance to fall asleep more to her routine.

[MyMoses]

I understand your concerns. I also have what I refer to as a "spirited" child. She is extremely high energy, doesn't sleep well in anything other than her a crib or pack and play, etc. My dd is 27 mos. now, so thankfully she can attend Camp Carniva, whew! However, I think your dd will love just walking the ship. There will be so much to look at and explore for her. I have a feeling she is going to be exhausted come nap or night time and will not have a problem going down.

 

We have traveled a bit with our dd (not on a cruise yet though) and I was really worried about sharing a room with her too. Honestly, she usually went down with no issues and never woke up when we used the bathroom. It always ended up being no big deal. We even waited until she fell asleep to watch the TV at a low volume and she slept through that too. As far as the food goes, I don't think you'll have trouble there either. They have a ton of different food options on the ship and it sounds like they will really cater to your needs.

 

Good luck and have a great time. Hopefully, grandma and grandpa will take her for an evening or two as well, so you can have a little couple time.

[Kerry's Girls]

At that age, my girls could spend a morning climbing on lounge chairs in an empty area of the pool deck. Also, an empty lounge is perfect to let them run around because the tables all have rounded edges and are attached to the floor, so mine were able to play on the dance floor and run laps around the lounge.

 

Best,

Mia

[RTRMom]

Ditto on the place to let their roam around.

 

 

We found the loungese a great place..especially with the round booths. We would just sit in there and read and relax while he roamed around right near us.

 

 

I agree to make sure your daughter is use to eating at tables in a highchair. There is also so much going on in the dining room, that I am sure your daughter will do fine. We have been lucky with the waiters, all of them had children that were back home....so they were pretty attached to our son..the whole service they made sure he was having a good time and kept him entertained :)

 

 

Excursions- we did like the other poster stated..we did a beach excursion to allow him to play in the sand...

[mom2two2]

Thanks for the tips already!

 

She won't ride in a stroller and won't nap anywhere but her bed. We are driving to port, so we are bringing her pack and play with us.

 

We will have grandparents with a connecting room, so one person in the other room while she naps won't be a problem.

 

I hadn't thought of tacking up a sheet...

 

She won't be old enough for camp carnival. could we take her there to play as long as we stay with her?

 

we really like our kid, so i'm not worried about having time without her. (plus with have the grands to help) we also aren't big swimmers or sun worshipers. before her we would just read in the shade and breathe the air and that was enough. she is much more energetic than that though!

 

It does not sound like she is ready for travel at all, let alone a cruise. If she will only eat certain things, will not eat at the table, will only nap in bed, will not ride in a stroller then I would say it is going to be one long vacation for you. I would bring the umbrella stroller anyhow and say "Climb in or we do not leave the cabin" and after some freaking out and maybe a long time, she will see you mean what you say....

[reallyitsmema]

It really sounds like you need to start practicing now, if this cruise is going to end up enjoyable for anyone. Start having meals only at the table and only in her high chair. Talk her through it, "big girls eat at the table like mommy and daddy". Get her used to it so hopefully you will be able to enjoy some meals in the dining room.

 

Do the same thing with the stroller, talk her through it, "Lets take a ride in the stroller so we can go play at the beach, you can hold the pail so we can go play in the sand". It won't always work and I am sure there will be tears but the more you work at it now, the easier it will be later.

 

My son was a very active toddler too but the more we engaged him in what was going on, the easier it was for everyone. We never babytalked to him, we just told him what we were doing and he learned what was expected. Did it always work, god no, but he learned.

[A&Jfamily]

Cruising with a toddler doesn't seem so bad, but I'm nervous about cruising with mine. I guess I just want to lay out my worries and maybe someone will have some tips, solutions, or advice for me.

 

eating - my toddler is picky right now. she eats specific foods and not others. she also tends to eat not in her highchair - rather while playing or otherwise entertained. i don't know how we would get through an actual meal with her at a restaurant - particularily not 3 a day.

 

playing - my toddler is not potty trained. we are on the Carnival Pride. what will we do? she is super active - park, chalk, bounce house, etc. she loves the water. she NEVER sits still.

 

sleeping - we have always slept in a separate room from her. even our last vacation we were able to fit her pack n play in the shower of the bathroom so that we could have separate spaces. will she wake us up? will we wake her up?

 

Any tips? Anyone able to ease my worries?

 

When you say she is picky, what do you mean? They have standard childrens fair at lunch and dinner and breakfast is tons of choices from pancakes to eggs to cereal etc. You can find yogurt and fruit always. If you are going to be "worried" if she doesn't eat, then I would pack some of her favorite foods and bring them with you.

 

I think from what you are saying, the main dining room is going to be out; if she won't sit still, then she should not be in there as she will not only get in the way of the wait staff, but also disturb the dinner of oher diners. If you are fine eating in the buffet or in the room, then you should not have too many problems -though it might be tough to find some out of the way space at lunch.

 

Other than that, if you know your child and are willing to cater to her needs during this trip you should be fine.

[MrsZee]

Some advice someone gave me, as we are taking our two year old in May, is get a special toy that she can only have at meal times, that way it is still new to her. And if that fails, a portable dvd player at the table with her favorite show on dvd. That way, you can have your dinner and she can be entertained.

 

Good luck with the naptimes, that is my biggest concern too because I am just not sure if he will go to sleep if he can see us. I think we are going to try tacking the sheet up as well.

[newbiecruiser09]

Good luck with the naptimes, that is my biggest concern too because I am just not sure if he will go to sleep if he can see us. I think we are going to try tacking the sheet up as well.

 

 

One thing we used to do when ours were young is that when they went to take a nap, one if us would also lay down and "nap" as well. We ignored any requests and eventually our kids would fall asleep no problem. I would also try to start practicing this now if you can (as well as the sitting in a high chair and riding in a stroller--port days could be really tiresome if our DD won't sit in a stroller. P.s. what do you do when you go places at home? Will she never ride in a stroller?)

[Cre]

I think she'll be just fine. Don't worry about it. Enjoy your time with your baby. However, I have read that if the child is not potty trained they maynot be welcome at the pool / for obvious reasons I've heard some parent mentioning bring their own blow up kiddie pool. I'd check with the cruiseline first but maybe this will work for your daughter. Have a great vacation!

[crzgrl66]

Cruising with a toddler doesn't seem so bad, but I'm nervous about cruising with mine. I guess I just want to lay out my worries and maybe someone will have some tips, solutions, or advice for me.

 

eating - my toddler is picky right now. she eats specific foods and not others. she also tends to eat not in her highchair - rather while playing or otherwise entertained. i don't know how we would get through an actual meal with her at a restaurant - particularily not 3 a day.

 

playing - my toddler is not potty trained. we are on the Carnival Pride. what will we do? she is super active - park, chalk, bounce house, etc. she loves the water. she NEVER sits still.

 

sleeping - we have always slept in a separate room from her. even our last vacation we were able to fit her pack n play in the shower of the bathroom so that we could have separate spaces. will she wake us up? will we wake her up?

 

Any tips? Anyone able to ease my worries?

 

Here are my tips after having taken my 2 year old on a Carnival Cruise:

 

1. Stroller or backpack leash is a must (the stair/deck railings don't have plexiglass)

2. Some nights its nice to just send DH for food (or order room service) and have dinner in your room where the child can play.

3. Bring favorite toys from home

4. DVD Player with favorite movies

5. Play cd's for background noise, I always did this at home and brought those with me. It really helped muffle the noise so he didn't wake up as easily from naps.

6. Bring sand toys for the beach

7. Stock the fridge with your daughters favorite snacks

8. Realize that this is not going to be a relaxing vacation. She will keep you busy, so use Grandma when you can so you can have a cocktail and enjoy some time with the hubby.

[jwmet]

We went on an Alaskan cruise with our 20 month old as part of an extended family trip. He had no fear and loved to run, so we had our hands full all week. It was a memorable trip, but not relaxing.

 

On the first day he climbed a sofa that was right next to a railing that dropped down to the next level, so we quickly learned to keep an eye and a hand on him nearly all the time. If we wanted to rest in our room, he would just turn the handle and run out in the halls. The doors don't lock from the inside for safety reasons, so we stacked our luggage next to the door so he couldn't get out. Not the best plan, but it worked and gave us a break.

 

We went to the dining room on the first night, but stayed at the buffet for the rest of the cruise. The food was fine and the flexibility really worked for us.

 

I wouldn't recommend a cruise for this age group having done it myself. We were on Holland America which at the time didn't offer anything for this age group -- I hear Carnival has more services for younger cruisers.

 

Good luck!

[sas80]

It sounds to me like your toddler is not ready for cruising and I suggest you either cruise when she is older and on more of a schedule or leave her with grandma. As a Grandma I vote for that one. LOL

 

It sounds to me like OP is stressed with the anticipation of it all.

 

Really, you know your child. You just laid her personality out for us. I would suggest that you take a hard line now on the behaviors that she displays that are causing you anticipatory stress about the cruise.

 

You say she wont eat in a chair, only when playing. I suspect that is because you never wanted to deal with the hassle of disciplining her into eating in a chair. If it causes you stress to think about how this behavior is going to play out on a cruise then deal with it now. Discipline her into sitting in a chair while eating.

 

None of my kids will sit in a chair eating for as long as the adults do on a cruise. My solution, whenever we go out, is to have all of us eat dinner and then I have table toys for them to occupy them while the adults finish up.

 

She is a picky eater? Then you are either going to have to feed her the one thing that she will eat (is that cereal, french fries, carrots, what?) at every meal or let her go hungry.

 

She wont sleep in the same room as you? Nothing you can do about that. You are just going to have to wait and see. You may have to discipline yourself and lay there and let her cry herself to sleep at night. Yep, it's going to be stressful, but what can you do? parenting is stressful.

 

I would start now working on the behaviors that you can change. Discipline is a wonderful thing. It's a very hard thing to do with young children because it's so much easier to just give in and let them have their way. it always seems like you aren't doing much harm.

 

After all, in the moment it doesn't seem harmful to not require her to sit in a chair and eat....but then you end up stressing about things like dining at a restaurant, or on a cruise ship. Unless your child is a special needs child it is always better to parent and condition the correct behavior from the start.

[sas80]

Also, we found that, if we asked for a particular food, we were usually able to get it. When we were in the dining room for lunch we asked for chicken strips (not on the menu) and they cooked them for us.

 

Try your head waiter and/or room service for any special orders for your child. If you need a constant supply of mac n cheese or chicken fingers they would be a good place to start asking for it.

 

Also we just got off a cruise last week. DD started eating less and less as the week went on (distracted mostly) but I realized that she was a big fan of anything french fry like. I would feed her 'normal' and 'reasonable' food first (in order to take advantage of the fact that she was probably hungry) and then I would swoop in with the french fries or hash browns when she appeared to be losing interest or her hunger looked like it was starting to be satisfied.

 

I could always count on another 5-10 minutes of eating if I did this. I'm not particularly fond of 'backfilling' meals with fried potatoes (we don't do this at home) but I am fond of my 13 month old eating food :) So, if that is what she was going to eat while on vacation then so be it. I decided not to stress about it.

 

Crackers and bananas and french fries (and milk) became staples in her cruise diet :)

[pg.]

It sounds to me like OP is stressed with the anticipation of it all.

 

Really, you know your child. You just laid her personality out for us. I would suggest that you take a hard line now on the behaviors that she displays that are causing you anticipatory stress about the cruise.

 

You say she wont eat in a chair, only when playing. I suspect that is because you never wanted to deal with the hassle of disciplining her into eating in a chair. If it causes you stress to think about how this behavior is going to play out on a cruise then deal with it now. Discipline her into sitting in a chair while eating.

 

None of my kids will sit in a chair eating for as long as the adults do on a cruise. My solution, whenever we go out, is to have all of us eat dinner and then I have table toys for them to occupy them while the adults finish up.

 

She is a picky eater? Then you are either going to have to feed her the one thing that she will eat (is that cereal, french fries, carrots, what?) at every meal or let her go hungry.

 

She wont sleep in the same room as you? Nothing you can do about that. You are just going to have to wait and see. You may have to discipline yourself and lay there and let her cry herself to sleep at night. Yep, it's going to be stressful, but what can you do? parenting is stressful.

 

I would start now working on the behaviors that you can change. Discipline is a wonderful thing. It's a very hard thing to do with young children because it's so much easier to just give in and let them have their way. it always seems like you aren't doing much harm.

 

After all, in the moment it doesn't seem harmful to not require her to sit in a chair and eat....but then you end up stressing about things like dining at a restaurant, or on a cruise ship. Unless your child is a special needs child it is always better to parent and condition the correct behavior from the start.

 

Some may take this post as a bit strong,, but poster is correct. A child who will not sit at all,, has never been made to,, likely because you worry too much about her not eating,, that you started feeding her bites whenever you could. You never let her get hungry. No child has ever starved themselves to death... so this is a behaviour you could ( and should)work on. As for being picky,, fair enough,, some kids are,, I found when we took our almost two year old on a Carnival cruise that waiters were great at bringing foods he showed he liked.. .. They have all the kiddie faves anyways.

 

I also think eating at the buffets is a great idea,, it IS alot to expect a child to sit for an hour meal,, so we often took turns,, hubby would walk child for 15 minutes while I finished my dinner, then we'd switch etc,, plus we brought both grannys for help( although neither of them helped much,, it was their first cruises and they had so much fun they kept themselves busy and unavailable lots of the time.. ..LOL)

We also had our younger baby( 5 months) with us,, so we couldn't cater to the 22 month old all the time anyways,, this is one problem with onlys.. parents do have more time to focus on them( which CAN be good) but can also be bad,,

[kitty9]

It sounds to me like OP is stressed with the anticipation of it all.

 

Really, you know your child. You just laid her personality out for us. I would suggest that you take a hard line now on the behaviors that she displays that are causing you anticipatory stress about the cruise.

 

You say she wont eat in a chair, only when playing. I suspect that is because you never wanted to deal with the hassle of disciplining her into eating in a chair. If it causes you stress to think about how this behavior is going to play out on a cruise then deal with it now. Discipline her into sitting in a chair while eating.

 

None of my kids will sit in a chair eating for as long as the adults do on a cruise. My solution, whenever we go out, is to have all of us eat dinner and then I have table toys for them to occupy them while the adults finish up.

 

She is a picky eater? Then you are either going to have to feed her the one thing that she will eat (is that cereal, french fries, carrots, what?) at every meal or let her go hungry.

 

She wont sleep in the same room as you? Nothing you can do about that. You are just going to have to wait and see. You may have to discipline yourself and lay there and let her cry herself to sleep at night. Yep, it's going to be stressful, but what can you do? parenting is stressful.

 

I would start now working on the behaviors that you can change. Discipline is a wonderful thing. It's a very hard thing to do with young children because it's so much easier to just give in and let them have their way. it always seems like you aren't doing much harm.

 

After all, in the moment it doesn't seem harmful to not require her to sit in a chair and eat....but then you end up stressing about things like dining at a restaurant, or on a cruise ship. Unless your child is a special needs child it is always better to parent and condition the correct behavior from the start.

 

sas, congratulations, and I mean that in all honesty. This is probably one of the best posts I have read on cruise critic. Real, honest and totally candid.

 

As for the OP, you're going to have some big problems with this cruise unless you start now with training your child. Believe me, if your child is going to scream and yell and act out on the ship, it's not going to be fun for anyone, but especially your fellow cruisers. If you're child isn't taught how to sleep in other places, and if the child screams every night, you will have some very upset neighbors. They paid their money just as you have, but to have their nights interrupted by a screaming toddler every night, well, it won't be pretty.

 

And what in heaven's name will you do at dinner? We recently had a poster on here who insisted that his child could walk around tables and sit whereever he wanted, as long as there was an empty seat---heck, he even allowed the child to step into the waterfall in the lobby. Sorry, but that won't work. You really must start NOW training your toddler to sit at the table and eat with the family. I was a teacher of special needs pre-schoolers for many years, and even with them, with the mental capabilities of 12 to 24 month olds, we were able to teach them how to sit at a table and eat lunch, with no problems. Yes, it isn't easy, but what about parenting is easy? You just have to work at it, decide that you will not allow the child to do whatever he pleases, just because it's easier.

 

If you want a nice cruise without losing your mind, and a cruise where you won't be hacking off your fellow passengers, you really need to start working now to get your child into cruise shape.

[sas80]

sas, congratulations, and I mean that in all honesty. This is probably one of the best posts I have read on cruise critic. Real, honest and totally candid.

 

As for the OP, you're going to have some big problems with this cruise unless you start now with training your child. Believe me, if your child is going to scream and yell and act out on the ship, it's not going to be fun for anyone, but especially your fellow cruisers. If you're child isn't taught how to sleep in other places, and if the child screams every night, you will have some very upset neighbors. They paid their money just as you have, but to have their nights interrupted by a screaming toddler every night, well, it won't be pretty.

 

And what in heaven's name will you do at dinner? We recently had a poster on here who insisted that his child could walk around tables and sit whereever he wanted, as long as there was an empty seat---heck, he even allowed the child to step into the waterfall in the lobby. Sorry, but that won't work. You really must start NOW training your toddler to sit at the table and eat with the family. I was a teacher of special needs pre-schoolers for many years, and even with them, with the mental capabilities of 12 to 24 month olds, we were able to teach them how to sit at a table and eat lunch, with no problems. Yes, it isn't easy, but what about parenting is easy? You just have to work at it, decide that you will not allow the child to do whatever he pleases, just because it's easier.

 

If you want a nice cruise without losing your mind, and a cruise where you won't be hacking off your fellow passengers, you really need to start working now to get your child into cruise shape.

 

Thanks. I'm not perfect - consider my decision to feed my 13 month old french fried food as a way to get her to eat AND keep her happy at the table for a bit longer. Not the most "sound" parenting strategy, but it worked for us on the cruise.

 

Shoot, not too long ago I really questioned if I had the energy to discipline my 13 month old like we disciplined our 3 year old or if i should just give myself a break and always give in.... Lol, I still haven't committed to and answer on that one yet. We take that question moment by moment. ;)

 

I wasn't trying to be harsh. Parenting is HARD and takes a lot of self discipline. If we didn't get so darn tired all the time we wouldn't give in to our kids to make our situations easier, right?

 

I have found that it is always easier for myself to acknowledge that there are certain situation "coming" that are going to cause me stress, and really internalize that the only thing I can do is deal with it the best I can and not let the stress turn me into a bitch monster....:D

 

For OP - There are many reasons why parents choose to parent in a particular style and I am no one to judge you but you just have to be totally honest with yourself. If you have this much anticipatory stress about how your child is going to behave in certain situations on the cruise ship then maybe it is time to utilize the tool of discipline and change her behaviors.

 

Now, if anyone could tell DH and I why our 3 YO is perfect at school and then comes home and messes his pants without a thought, and how to solve that issue, we would really appreciate it! Apparently we dropped the ball on this and need some feedback!